Are you experiencing slow system performance on the Precision M4800 Mobile Workstation with Intel SpeedStep enabledThe system may take longer than usual to complete a shutdown and experience general slow performance during usage. The Windows Experience Index may also report low performance for the Processor category. Customers have noticed a boost in performance by disabling, or unchecking, the Intel SpeedStep within the Performance settings of the BIOS, as shown here:

While disabling Intel SpeedStep may provide a boost in performance on the Precision M4800, the power saving benefits of the technology will be disabled, as well. Intel SpeedStep allows for reduced power consumption and lessens heat production in systems using the technology. Instead of disabling Intel SpeedStep, customers may wish to take advantage of the improved power saving features it offers.

To ensure the Intel SpeedStep technology performs optimally on the system and doesn't impact system performance, it may be necessary to edit the Microsoft System Configuration Utility, or MSCONFIG, by following these steps:

Choose Start/Run and type "cmd" in the search box to bring up the Windows command prompt.

Type "msconfig" at the command prompt and hit Enter to bring up the system configuration utility.

Click on the Boot tab and then Advanced options. Make sure the Number of processors is enabled and that the maximum number of processors (4) is chosen from the drop-down list:

For further information concerning the Intel SpeedStep technology, reference the Intel FAQ.